1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable radio terminal and, more particularly, to a portable radio telephone set having a folding and housing control mechanism and a rotary selector for selecting various functions provided in a hinge section for folding and housing purpose.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional portable radio telephone sets (hereinafter referred to simply as telephone sets) are not only provided with ordinary telephone functions, but also with an electronic telephone directory function by which telephone numbers and names can be registered, a help function for guiding various functions, an incoming call tone selection function for selecting incoming call tone, and the like, thus being formed as a multi-functional terminal. The conventional portable radio telephone set uses function buttons in order to select such functions. The operation of some terminals has been made easier by making the shape of function buttons different from that of the dial buttons.
When, for example, the electronic telephone directory function is used, first a telephone set user operates a function button for the electronic telephone directory function in order to call a telephone number stored in the electronic telephone directory onto a display section of the portable radio telephone set. Then, the telephone set user operates a function button for selecting the telephone number and a function button for scrolling the registered telephone numbers in order to call the wanted telephone number shown on the display section from among telephone numbers registered in the electronic telephone directory. When the wanted telephone number is confirmed on the display section by the above operation, the user operates a function button for starting a conversation in order to call the other party.
Though the conventional portable radio telephone set is multi-functional, the operation procedure thereof is complex for a user when the series of operations described above is considered. Furthermore, there is the possibility that the greater the number of buttons, the greater the chances that a button may be depressed erroneously when the button arrangement of a present portable radio telephone set is considered.
That is, in view of the complexity of such an operation procedure, it is not easy, as regards a conventional telephone set in which functions are selected by function buttons, to operate various buttons with only one hand while holding the telephone set itself in the same hand.